13/10/2026
AMAZING FACT | EPILEPSY DOES NOT DEFINE A PERSON’S DESTINY
People living with epilepsy have helped shape music, literature, and disability rights across the world. Their lives remind us that a diagnosis does not erase a person’s gifts, ambitions, or ability to make a lasting difference.
- Tony Coelho, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at 22, became a U.S. congressman and a leading disability rights advocate. He was the primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark law advancing the rights of people with disabilities.
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, the celebrated Russian novelist, lived with epilepsy and went on to create influential works of world literature, including The Brothers Karamazov.
- Prince, the innovative musician, wrote about having epilepsy as a child. He went on to build a remarkable musical legacy that reached audiences around the world.
These are landmark achievements in public life, literature, and music. They show why stigma and misinformation must never be allowed to silence, exclude, or limit a person’s opportunities. People with epilepsy deserve dignity, support, and the chance to contribute their talents to the world.
HMEL – IBE Liberia Chapter stands with every person living with epilepsy and every caregiver: let us replace fear with facts, stigma with respect, and exclusion with opportunity.
THERE IS STILL HOPE.
